Hello Old Friend

As I am strolling down the garden park,

I saw a flower glowing in the dark.
It looked so pretty and it was unique;
I had to bend down just to have a peek.

Hello old friend,
It's really good to see you once again.
Hello old friend,
It's really good to see you once again.

I saw you walking underneath the stars;
I couldn't stop 'cause I was in a car.
I'm sure the distance wouldn't be too far
If I got out and walked to where you are.

Hello old friend,
It's really good to see you once again.
Hello old friend,
It's really good to see you once again.

An old man passed me on the street today;
I thought I knew him but I couldn't say.
I stopped to think if I could place his frame.
When he tipped his hat I knew his name.

Hello old friend,
It's really good to see you once again.
Hello old friend,
It's really good to see you once again.

Hello Old Friend - Eric Clapton

I had a wonderful weekend. Stayed in Friday night and watched that cancer show.

Ran around doing errands Saturday, spent time with Kori, Becky, Izabella, Tracy & Hayden at Becky's brother's place. He lives about a mile away from me, or as I told him when I arrived, "less than a song away".

Napped, then went out with old some friends, and made some new friends.

Sunday I went to Hayden's 4th birthday party (cute pics to come). As usual, it was fun to spend time with my family and watch my 4 nieces just being their beautiful selves.

***
My PT/INR was a little on the high side of normal today (3.0...see side bar for all PT/INR test results), no doubt from the few beers I drank Saturday night.

Dr. McK put me on antibiotics for my errant boob. He also ordered a UA because of some kidney pain I experienced over the weekend. He also had them take my blood to test my tumor markers. Normal levels for the particular test I have (CA27-29) are usually less than 38 to 40 U/mL (units/milliliter). My result in June was 67. I have a feeling it's on the rise since my chemo break. Cancer's probably having a little party inside my body.

We discussed the fluid building up in my lung and around my heart. Bottom line here is that if I want to breath, I will have to have it drained again and/or start back on chemo. Party's almost over...for me and the cancer.

I can go back to the chemo I've had (Taxotere/Avastin), try something different (Xeloda), or a possibly do a combo of drugs. Xeloda is taken orally, so it wouldn't be an infusion like before...but it comes with its own set of nasty side effects.

We will discuss this further when I see him again on 9/22. Suffice it to say that I'm not real thrilled about my 'chemo break' ending, but I am grateful for the 3 months I got.

***
Work is a mess right now, they're tearing down everything in the room I've worked in for 9 years, and building it back up for a different division.

Everyone I worked with in that room is scattered to the wind...most are elsewhere in the building, some are gone. Once my boss's office is constructed in our new area, I will be moving into my new cubicle next to him and Debby, who has already moved into our new area. Joe and I should be moving in early October.

In the meantime, I feel like I've been left behind. You should have seen me trying to make copies today...all I can say is that it's a good thing I'm not any bigger than I already am or it would have been an impossibility.

To summarize: I feel discombobulated.

***
I have been missing all kinds of birthdays, on this blog and off:

Happy Birthday to: Terri (8/28), Vinda (9/6), and Hayden (9/8)!!!!